ESPN and John Kruk are parting ways after 12 years

One of ESPN’s longest-tenured baseball analysts is no longer with the network. Ryan Glasspiegel of The Big Lead reports that ESPN has “mutually agreed” to end its relationship with John Kruk, who joined the company in 2004:

John Kruk and ESPN are parting ways. An ESPN spokesperson provided the following statement to The Big Lead:

“ESPN and John Kruk have mutually agreed to end our relationship at this time. We’re thankful to John for his memorable contributions to our baseball coverage over the years – a run which included roles on our signature MLB franchises Sunday Night Baseball and Baseball Tonight. We wish John all the best.”

Kruk joined the network in 2004. This season, he mainly served as a studio analyst, and he also contributed to ESPN’s Little League World Series coverage. On a brief phone call, his agent declined to comment on whether or not another broadcasting job was on the horizon.

Kruk has done broadcasting work since 2001, first with Fox (including on The Best Damn Sports Show Period) and then with Comcast SportsNet and WPEN-AM in Philadelphia in 2003. He joined ESPN in 2004 and worked on a variety of programs, including Baseball Tonight (2004-12, 2015-present) and Sunday Night Baseball (2013-15). Some of his stories and quirkiness will certainly be missed, including how he unknowingly texted with George Brett about ribs for two years and how he teamed up with a country band to record songs for ESPN’s 2014 Fourth of July weekend coverage. We’ll see if Kruk winds up elsewhere in the broadcasting world.

[The Big Lead]